Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 43

Devanagari script

अश्वमेधसहस्रैस्तु कृतैस्तु भूरिदक्षिणैः । तत्फलं समवाप्नोति श्रोता श्रावयिता नरः

Transliteration

aśvamedhasahasraistu kṛtaistu bhūridakṣiṇaiḥ | tatphalaṃ samavāpnoti śrotā śrāvayitā naraḥ

Translation

വളരെയധികം ദക്ഷിണകളോടെ ചെയ്ത സഹസ്ര അശ്വമേധയാഗങ്ങളുടെ ഫലം എന്തോ, അതേ ഫലം ശ്രോതാവും ശ്രാവയിതാവും പ്രാപിക്കുന്നു.

Word by Word

• अश्वमेधसहस्रैः: by thousands of Aśvamedha (sacrifices)
• अश्वमेधसहस्रैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अश्वमेध + सहस्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (masculine), तृतीया (3rd case/instrumental), बहुवचन (plural); (अश्वमेधानां सहस्रैः)

• तु: indeed
• तु: Sambandha/Emphasis (सम्बन्ध/अवधारण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (particle; emphasis/contrast)

• कृतैः: performed
• कृतैः: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कृ (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (past passive participle/क्त), पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया, बहुवचन; विशेषण

• तु: and/indeed
• तु: Sambandha/Emphasis (सम्बन्ध/अवधारण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (particle)

• भूरिदक्षिणैः: with abundant fees/gifts
• भूरिदक्षिणैः: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: भूरि + दक्षिणा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (masculine), तृतीया (3rd case), बहुवचन (plural); विशेषण; (भूरयः दक्षिणाः यस्य)

• तत्: that
• तत्: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; सर्वनाम-विशेषण

• फलम्: fruit, result
• फलम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: फल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (neuter), द्वितीया (2nd case/accusative), एकवचन (singular)

• समवाप्नोति: attains fully
• समवाप्नोति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अव् + आप् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (singular); उपसर्ग: सम् + अव

• श्रोता: the listener
• श्रोता: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्रु (धातु) + तृ (कृदन्त)
• Form: कर्तरि तृ-प्रत्ययान्त (agent noun), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• श्रावयिता: the one who makes (others) listen; reciter
• श्रावयिता: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्रु (धातु) + णिच् (causative) + तृ (कृदन्त)
• Form: कर्तरि तृ-प्रत्ययान्त (agent noun), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; णिजन्त (causative)

• नरः: a man
• नरः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (masculine), प्रथमा (1st case), एकवचन (singular)

Speaker

Unspecified (narrator addressing a king)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Deva-majjānaka (māhātmya-śravaṇa)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: King (nṛpa/bhūpati) and by extension future audience

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A public recitation scene: a reciter (paurāṇika) reads the māhātmya to gathered listeners; a patron offers dakṣiṇā, symbolically equating the act to a thousand Aśvamedhas.

Characters & Entities

• Aśvamedha

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Hearing and promoting sacred narration is elevated as a powerful dharmic act, comparable to major Vedic sacrifices.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse continues the Deva-majjānaka/Dharmāraṇya māhātmya context, though no new site-name appears here.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Śravaṇa (listening) and śrāvaṇa (sponsoring/arranging recitation) are praised as yielding great sacrificial merit.